Race & Climate Justice
Lawyers for Civil Rights has launched a new practice area focused on climate resilience and environmental justice in low-income communities of color and immigrant communities.
With each passing year, the impact of climate change on low-income communities of color and immigrant communities becomes more harmful and dramatic. How we address that impact is one of the most pressing civil rights challenges we face today. As leaders on the front lines of justice, we must not only address the disproportionate impact of climate change on low-income communities of color and immigrant communities, but invest in creative and courageous actions in climate resilience planning, decision-making, policy-making, and legal action that include directly-impacted individuals.
While Massachusetts has existing infrastructure for environmental justice work, many of the organizations driving this work tend to focus on environmental issues rather than on the particular communities most affected. Low-income communities of color and immigrant communities are significantly underrepresented in decision-making, planning, and advocacy. Yet these communities are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, heightened proximity to environmental hazards, and a shrinking safety net to protect from extreme climate events and the adverse health impacts of pollution.
Our Race and Climate Justice Project will integrate the voices of low-income people of color and immigrants into climate change discussions, and ensure that solutions reflect the perspectives and needs of our communities.
Race & Climate Justice Project
Learn more about this cutting-edge work →
Race and Climate Justice FOR PUBLIC RELEASENews and Resources
Jul 01, 22
Condemning Lax Sentencing in East Boston Hate CrimeJun 29, 22
Emergency Relief Sought Against the Military to End HIV DiscriminationJun 24, 22
Condemning the Supreme Court Decision in DobbsJun 02, 22
East Boston Patients Urge AG to Investigate and ReformMay 25, 22
Wrongful Eviction of Black BusinessesMay 09, 22
Black Youth File Racial Profiling Complaint Against Medford Police DepartmentMay 05, 22
Lawsuit Filed to End HIV Discrimination in the MilitaryMay 05, 22
Statement on Supreme Court Draft OpinionApr 12, 22
Displaced Minority Businesses Call on City to Halt Roxbury DevelopmentMar 23, 22
Health Issues in East BostonFeb 23, 22
Ahmaud Arbery Verdict Highlights Gaps In Local Hate Crime EnforcementFeb 17, 22
Barnstable Sheriff’s Entanglement With Federal Immigration Officials IllegalJan 27, 22
Statement on Fall River PoliceJan 20, 22
Petición de Derechos Humanos Por Abuso FronterizoJan 20, 22
100 Organizations File Human Rights Petition Against the U.S.Jan 13, 22
Applauding Boston’s Vaccine MandateJan 05, 22
Colossal Failure: Qualified Immunity CommissionDec 23, 21
Civil Rights Groups Seek Clarification of Expungement Statute